Can Madden be improved?

Yes, Madden can be made much better. Of course, everything that would do it …

I don't know if you can tell by my posts on the subject, but I've been much more of a 2K Sports fan than I have of the Madden series. This dates back to my love affair with NFL 2K on the Dreamcast, and I never really came back to Madden after that. Of course, now Madden is the only game in town, so if you want to play an NFL-themed video game you just have to make do. Is there anything that can be done to make Madden, you know, better?

GIANT Magazine has some thoughts on the matter, and they seem to sum up all the common-sense suggestions made over the past few years. Why do they (and I) feel like they need to be repeated? Because this is what EA needs to hear. While EA is not about to back out of their deal with the NFL to offer us choice out of the goodness of their heart, I also have a feeling they'd agree behind closed doors that there isn't much of a reason to really excel anymore. Who are they fighting? So, we know they need competition. Everything else, from 52-player online games, to betting real money to keep people from quitting, would simply be icing on the cake if another football franchise was able to compete with Madden.

I think the main problem is that EA still refuses to sell roster updates. I know why they don't do it, and I know they never will—why sell a hen when you can overcharge for an egg? That doesn't make it any less annoying. I really don't care about upgrading into a new $50 game, or $69.99 if you want the Hall of Fame 360 version, just to get the new user-created cups in my own virtual stadium (or whatever they're pushing this year). I'd much rather just have the new players, and the version I already bought is just fine, thank you. If you want me to pay for a new game, please make a new game.

Of course, why mess with a profit stream as good as Madden? As long as we keep bending over, it's hard to complain too much.